Baseball, Dip & the Law

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Wanted to see if anyone has an opinion on the following topic, which is of interest to me:

Tobacco and baseball have always gone hand-in-hand. But certain cities and stadiums have begun outlawing the use of smokeless by both players and the public.

It's the old question of public health & safety vs. the individual's right to make a choice about whether or not they use.

I see it as a two-fold issue:

1) Baseball angle: Players are role models and set a dangerous example to kids. As a brand, MLB does not and should not want to be associated with tobacco.

2) Public angle: City governments making dip illegal to buy/sell/use. It makes it much harder to acquire and become addicted, but the dip doesn't leap off the counter and land in my mouth. Simply put, "free country."

Conversely, there were plenty of times when I felt helpless using, thinking "Gosh if only this stuff wasn't available, I wouldn't be in such a bind."

That's a weak thought, and I was displaying a weak constitution.

But as more lawmakers turn their attention to smokeless -- in part because of its prevalence in baseball -- it's an interesting issue to consider.